Tessitura

Tessitura

In music, the term tessitura (Italian for "texture") generally describes the most musically acceptable and comfortable timbre for a given voice or, less frequently, musical instrument; the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding texture or timbre. This broad definition is often interpreted to refer specifically to the pitch range that most frequently occurs within a given piece, or part, of music. For example, throughout the entirety of Wagner's Ring, the music written for the role of Siegfried ranges from C#3 to C5, but the tessitura is described as high because the tenor phrases are most often in the range of C4 to A4.

In musical notation, "tessitura" is the range of notes implied by a clef.

Melodic contour may also be considered to be an important aspect of vocal "tessitura".

The "tessitura" concept addresses not merely a range of pitches but as well the arrangement of those pitches. Tessitura considerations include these factors: proportion of sudden or gradual rises and falls in pitch - speed of pitch changes; the relative number of very high or low notes; whether lines and phrases of music in the piece tend to rise or fall – the muscular abilities of a singer may be more suited to one or the other direction.

Although frequently ignored in discourses on tessitura, the volume (loudness) level which a singer is required to maintain for dramatic effect will often have an effect on which 'fach' (voice category) or tessitura in which he or she may specialise. For example a lyric tenor may have the vocal range to sing Wagner or other dramatic roles, but to maintain the loudness required for dramatic intensity over the span of an opera performance could either inflict vocal damage or be simply beyond the innate ability. Verdi's Othello is a good example of the need for a voice capable of substantial power throughout the length of a performance of the opera.

ee also

* Register
* Ambitus


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  • tessitura — s.f. [der. di tessere ]. 1. (tess.) a. [operazione artigianale o industriale che ha per scopo la fabbricazione di tessuti: la t. del lino, della canapa ] ▶◀ (non com.) tessitoria. b. (estens.) [operazione, lavoro dell intrecciare: la t. di una… …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • tessitura — ит. [тэсситура] tessiture фр. [тэситю/р] тесситура, диапазон …   Словарь иностранных музыкальных терминов

  • tessitura — s. f. 1.  [Música] Disposição das notas musicais para se acomodarem a certa voz ou instrumento. 2.  [Figurado] Contextura; organização …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • tessitura — ► NOUN Music ▪ the range within which most notes of a vocal part fall. ORIGIN Italian, texture …   English terms dictionary

  • tessitura — [tes΄i toor′ə; ] It [ tes΄sē to͞o′rä] n. pl. tessituras [It, lit., texture < L textura,TEXTURE] Music the register that encompasses most of the notes of a specific composition or part, esp. for the voice; also, a voice in relation to such a… …   English World dictionary

  • tessitura — tes·si·tù·ra s.f. CO 1. l operazione del tessere e il suo risultato: operaio addetto alla tessitura, tessitura del cotone | caratteristica di un tessuto: tessitura rada, fitta, ad armatura diagonale | stabilimento o reparto industriale in cui si… …   Dizionario italiano

  • tessitura — /tes i toor euh/; It. /tes see tooh rddah/, n., pl. tessituras, tessiture / toor ay/; It. / tooh rdde/. the general pitch level or average range of a vocal or instrumental part in a musical composition: an uncomfortably high tessitura. [1890 95;… …   Universalium

  • tessitura — {{hw}}{{tessitura}}{{/hw}}s. f. 1 Operazione del tessere | Modalità e costo di tale operazione. 2 Lavoro, opera d intreccio: stuoia a –t. 3 Stabilimento in cui si tessono i filati. 4 (fig.) Composizione di un opera letteraria: la tessitura di una …   Enciclopedia di italiano

  • Tessitura — Die Tessitur (von it. Tessitura: das Knüpfen, das Weben, das Flechten) ist im Gesang der Bereich des Stimmumfanges, der für den musikalischen Ausdruck nutzbar ist. Die Tessitur hat einen geringeren Umfang als der physiologisch mögliche… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • tessitura — noun /tɛsɪˈtʊərə/ The vocal range of a singer. Byrne shrugged. He started writing a bravura / Opera based on Cleopatra’s death, / Exploiting all Maria’s tessitura, / With a high F before her final breath …   Wiktionary

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